1. Field of the Disclosure
The following application is directed to a method of forming an electronic device, and particularly directed to selectively removing portions of layers on a workpiece to form an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, when attempting to form features in an underlying layer, one common method of completing such a process is etching. While various types of etching processes exist, including for example reactive ion etching (RIE) or plasma etching, each of the processes have problems, one of which is etch proximity effects. In general, etch proximity effects result in differences between what is intended to be formed and the actual feature that is formed and can be attributed to the density of the features being etched per unit area. As such, etch proximity effects can result in less cross-sectional symmetry of the features being formed, such that one side of an etched feature is significantly different than another side. Such results can lead to differences in electronic performance of the component being formed. Moreover, etch proximity effects can manifest themselves in differences between isolated features and nested features (i.e., low density versus high density of features). Accordingly, as the dimensions of electronic components continues to shrink, etch proximity effects will continue to become a greater concern.
Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.